INCREASING TEACHER AVAILABLILITY : RECONCEPTUALIZATION OF POLICY, INCENTIVES, AND MANAGEMENT TOOLS TO PRODUCE DISTRICT COST-SAVINGS

Abstract

The impact the lack of teacher availability has on school budgets and the burden imposed on school finances resulted in one small school district paying in excess of $500,000 per year for the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years for substitute teacher expenditures. As a result of fiscal exigencies, leaders in low economic school districts are more strategic than ever in managing scarce financial resources (Miller, Murnane, & Willet, 2008; Odden & Picus, 2014; Roza, 2007, 2009). This problem of practice was an effort to reduce the financial burden of teacher absenteeism by identifying and implementing effective strategies for increasing teacher availability found in the literature and vetted by stakeholders. Stakeholder opinions, perceptions, and experiences regarding the lack of teacher availability combined with best practices found in the literature provided the basis for a comprehensive policy on teacher attendance. After partially implementing several strategies found in the literature and vetted by stakeholders, district data showed a $169,619.68 or a 28.2% savings during the 2013-2014 school year. From August 2014 until March 2015, the district spent $295,603.92 in substitute costs with two months remaining in the school year. At this rate, projected substitute spending for school year 2015 is $369,504.90. The difference in the $601,131.93 costs for the 2012-2013 school year compared to the 2015 school year is a savings of $231,627.03 or 38.5%. Adoption and implementation of the entire comprehensive attendance policy should result in even greater savings.